Report: Scientist helped keep cap on BP well

November 23, 2010 12:00:00 AM PST

WASHINGTON --

A lone scientist may have saved the Gulf of Mexico from a few more weeks of oil gushing from the BP well.A new report from the presidential oil spill commission found that a scientist, working with a photo from a cell phone camera, convinced the government that the cap put in place in July was actually working as designed.

Officials had considered removing the cap because pressure readings had indicated a leak elsewhere.

That cap ended up stopping the oil flow.

Scientist Paul Hsieh created a model to explain what was happening under the cap and how - despite low pressure readings - there was no leak. He was convinced the containment cap wouldn't blow.

More than 170 million gallons of oil gushed into the Gulf from April 20 to July 15.